Ipod Challenge
by JustAnotherSensitiveArtist
Summary: So I decided to take on the iPod challenge to help inspire me to write (for those of you who don't know, that's where you put your iPod on shuffle, select your pairing and then write a 10 drabbles, one for each of the first ten songs that play). My pairing is Malec and you can expect lots of hurt/comfort!
1. Tangled in the Great Escape

**So I decided to take on the iPod challenge to help inspire me to write (for those of you who don't know, that's where you put your iPod on shuffle, select your pairing and then write a 10 drabbles, one for each of the first ten songs that play) however, the first song was really deep in my opinion so this first little ficlet may be a bit longer than the others to follow.**

**Song – Tangled in the Great Escape by Peirce the Veil**

Jace bounded into Alec's bedroom, hardly able to contain his excitement as he threw himself on the bed beside the heap of blankets that covered Alec's sleeping form.

"Wake up!" he shouted enthusiastically, "There's a high demon reading in an abandoned building not far from here, let's go!"

Annoyed, Alec sighed and crawled out from under the covers to read the red numbers on the alarm clock beside the bed.

"What the hell Jace! It's five in the morning!"

"Demons don't wait," Jace stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Get dressed and geared up, meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes. Izzy's not back yet so it's just you and me," and with that he left, leaving the door open.

Alec groaned as he picked himself up off the bed. He and Magnus had been spending long nights together and he was totally exhausted. This was the exact opposite of what he needed. Alec pushed the doors closed and grumbled as he selected his usual black attire for the adventure, grabbed a duffle bag of gear from under the bed and his stele from his nightstand before hurrying to meet Jace.

The other boy was already in the kitchen, two mugs of coffee beside him. He pushed one down the counter towards Alec, some of the liquid sloshing over the side, "Drink up, looks like you could use the caffeine,"

Without hesitation Alec took the mug and began chugging the bitter black liquid. Jace watched, a small smile on his face, "So you've been out late with Magnus a lot lately… but you look like crap, doesn't he ever let you sleep?"

Alec almost choked on his coffee and his cheeks flushed a desperate shade of scarlet.

He threw the boy a mortified glare but Jace just laughed, shrugging, "Hey, never mind, I don't want to know the dirty things you two do in the dark," and he hopped gracefully from the barstool and away from the counter, avoiding Alec's weak attempt to punch him.

"Jerk," Alec muttered; the affection still evident in his tone. He finished his coffee and followed Jace out of the kitchen.

The two drove to the building in silence. When they arrived Alec couldn't help but feel his apprehension rise. It was so quiet – too quiet.

They walked the long cracked sidewalk towards the front of the dilapidated building. When Jace made to enter the front door, Alec held up his hand, "Wait, I'll go first,"

Jace rolled his golden eyes but allowed Alec to step forward, between him and the door.

Alec notched an arrow in his bow, nudging his foot into the crack between the door and its frame. He gazed back at his parabatai, "You ready?" and when Jace nodded, drawing his stele, Alec kicked the door open. They both rushed into the darkness.

At first there was nothing - just stirred up dust and the echo of their entry.

Alec turned to Jace, whispering, "Something's wrong…" and just as he finished demons began to rain down, leaping from the high rafters above.

The notched arrow flew from Alec's grip in his surprise, embedding itself into the shoulder of one of the monsters. Cursing his mistake, Alec notched another arrow and sent it straight into the thing's eye socket. It let out a hideous screech before falling into a pile of ash.

Alec turned around, desperate to make sure that Jace had not been caught off guard, but one glance at his parabatai told him that all was well. Jace's eyes flashed with savage pleasure as he lashed out at the demons. Ichor and dust covered his clothes but he remained unharmed. Relieved, Alec maneuvered himself so that he was flanking Jace and continued his attack on the creatures. He shot arrow after arrow until his quiver was empty, then cast aside his bow, grabbing his seraph blade from its place at his hip. He lashed out, cleanly severing the head off one of the demons and then whirled just in time to remove the clawed hand of one as it reached towards Jace's back before stabbing it through the heart. Jace swung above Alec's head, taking out a monster behind him.

The two continued in a complicated dance, weaving in and out of one another and always covering the other. It was a choreography only known to parabatai, only produced by those who were bound for life. It had always been something that had captivated Alec, the way he could predict Jace's next move, the way he could detect even the slightest weakness in the other. It was what made them close – closer than brothers.

It was also what alerted Alec to Jace's sudden danger. He felt it – a dread so deep in his gut that for a moment he felt that he might vomit – and turned desperately, screaming, "JACE!"

Jace had somehow moved a few feet away, just out of reach. Upon hearing Alec's cry, he looked up. And in the second that their eyes connected he understood that something terrible was about to happen but before he could react, a rouge demon lashed out from the shadows, its claws sinking into the flesh of his right hip and embedding in the bone there.

Alec watched in horror as Jace's pupils dilated, swallowing the gold of his irises. Jace's mouth fell open and he let out a choking sound, his hands grappling at his side as the demon attempted to tear its claws from the wound. It succeeded, tearing back with a sick squelching noise, and Jace fell forward onto his hands and knees.

The air seemed to be sucked right out of Alec's chest. Fuelled by desperation and rage, he became a whirlwind, dashing between demons and slaying them as he rushed towards his parabatai. In a flash, he stood over Jace; the demons that had been in his way disintegrated into piles of ash in his wake. He found himself glaring up at the last one in the room – the one who had just had its filthy claws inside his parabatai.

"You will rot in hell," he ground out with an animalistic ferocity and he plunged his blade into the creature, slitting its midsection open. As soon as it began to fall, he turned to Jace.

The agony was immense but Jace desperately tried to stay up. He remained on his hands and knees, needing to see that Alec would be okay. He watched through watering eyes as his parabatai turned into an animal, slaughtering the demons with a force that was super-human. And when Alec came to the last one, Jace couldn't help but smile as he heard his parabatai damn the thing before killing it. Knowing that Alec was no longer in danger, he let out a sigh and felt what little adrenaline he had had wear off. Immediately his elbows gave out and he would have face planted had it not been for the strong leather-clad arms that caught him mid fall.

Alec caught Jace before he could fall. He gently turned him over, gritting his teeth when Jace made a horrid keening noise that was extremely uncharacteristic. Jace's eyes were open, blown huge with pain and shock.

Still, he whispered, "Good job,"

Alec tried to smile but just couldn't, "Hardly, I was supposed to have your back,"

Jace shook his head, "You did… I… I moved away," then biting his lip and squeezing his eyes shut he asked, "How bad… is it?"

"Bad," Alec answered, he didn't even have to look to know that.

He pulled out his stele and was about to draw an iratze when Jace's bloodstained fingers wrapped around his wrist, "Demon venom… in the claws…"

And suddenly it dawned on Alec – they would need something stronger than a rune to fix this. He ripped off his jacket and pressed it firmly onto the wound on Jace's side, feeling extremely guilty when the other boy cried out.

"It's okay, I'm going to get you back to the institute," but even as he said it, Alec began to doubt himself when he tried to pick Jace up only to have his parabatai scream, writhing and gagging against the pain which then caused more blood to gush up from the wound.

Alec stopped his attempt, focusing again on pressing his jacket to the wound to staunch the bleeding, tears filling his own eyes, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Here, I won't do that again. Please Jace, you have to keep still!"

Jace panted, trying to stop the sobs that were ripping from his chest, and at last managed to breath, "_Please Alec… Oh Angel it hurts… please not again…_"

Alec nodded his agreement, one hand remaining on the fabric over the wound but the other moving up to card through Jace's matted golden locks. He could feel the cold sweat on Jace's brow – produced by a combination of poison, blood loss, and shock. Alec knew he had to move quickly.

"Okay Jace, I'm going to be right back. I need you to stay with me, stay awake okay?" he took the arms of his jacket, tying them tight around Jace's hips and trying to ignore the strangled noises that this produced, "I have to get my phone from the car. Stay awake, I'll only be a sec, I'm going to call Magnus. Everything will be okay," but he was off, racing to the car before he could tell if his words had actually been understood by his parabatai.

When he reached the car he frantically searched for his phone before finding it in his duffle and hitting the number one and then call. It rang once and then Magnus's voice filled his ears, "Darling do you have any idea what time it is? It's like six in the morning, what on earth…"

Alec cut him off before he could finish, "Magnus thank Angel! It's Jace, he took us on some crazy hunt and it was a trap. We killed all the demons but he's hurt really badly, he got clawed by a demon and its poison will make an iratze useless. He's bleeding horribly, I can't stop it and I can't move him…" his voice grew higher and faster as he tried to explain the dire nature of the situation but Magnus cut him off.

"It's all going to be alright darling, I'm on my way. Stay with him and keep him comfortable, I'll be there in a bit,"

"Thank you Magnus! Thank you!"

There was a brief pause on the other line, "Love, I'm afraid if he's as bad as you say he is it will take quite a bit of magic to fix him up. So it's best if I don't teleport, I'll need my strength for the healing process. I may be a few minutes, you know how mundane transportation is, but I will be there as soon as I can!"

Magnus's words only fueled Alec's rising sense of horror but the rational part of his brain told him that Magnus was right, creating portals would take a lot of magic and Magnus didn't have any to waste if he was going to save Jace.

"Thank you Magnus," Alec whispered.

"Take care of him Alexander. I'll be there soon," and with that Magnus's end of the line went dead.

During their conversation, Alec had been edging back towards the building, getting closer and closer to Jace. Now that the call ended, he turned and ran back into the building and through the open room until he was once again kneeling beside his parabatai.

Alec sat down cross-legged and pulled Jace's upper body into his lap, once again returning his hand to the make-shift jacket bandage. To his horror, he noticed that Jace's face was tear-streaked and his eye lashes moist.

"Jace, open your eyes man… look at me,"

Jace's eyes fluttered obediently and he gazed up into his parabatai's clear blue eyes. Relief positively rolled off of him and he raised a bloody hand to fist the front of Alec's black t-shirt, "Thought you… left…"

Alec felt as if his heart would break, "I would never leave you, especially not like this, ever!"

Jace tried to smile, "Know that… just… head is fuzzy…"

Alec pulled Jace's hand from his shirt and took it in his own, "I'm right here, I just had to call Magnus. He's coming to fix this,"

"Never liked me," Jace mused.

Alec snorted, "Actually, I think you're probably the only one who can match him in wit. And for that reason you drive him insane, but he also enjoys you more than he lets on,"

"Listen Alec… I never told you… but…"

Alec tried to hush him, "Shhh, it's alright. Save your energy, Magnus will be here soon,"

Shivers wracked Jace's body but still he tried to continue "You're… family. You're my brother,"

"Jace, stop, you don't have to do this,"

"And if I don't make…"

"Stop it!" Alec shouted, them immediately regretted it, "Jace, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get upset… it's just that this isn't good bye. Don't treat it like that. Everything is going to be okay,"

Jace let out a weak cough, attempting to fight his erratic breathing and force it to normalize, "'kay,"

Moments of silence passed, feeling like hours for both boys, until at last Jace could no longer take the pain that was eating away at his left side or the cold that seeped into his bones, "'Lec?" he slurred.

"Yeah?"

"Please… don't leave me..."

Alec was about to reassure him that he wasn't going anywhere, that everything would be fine, when he felt it. It felt like fire, burning at his forearm and radiating all the way through his chest. He felt his heart constrict painful – was this how humans felt when they had a heart attack?

Then just as suddenly as the pain had come, it disappeared. Alec gasped, his hand flying to his forearm – to the parabatai rune that had just caused him so much pain. It was freezing to the touch.

"No!" Alec gasped; tearing frantically at Jace's shirt until his collar bone was exposed, laying his hand over the other boy's parabatai mark. It felt as if it were ice rather than skin. "NO!" Alec screamed, his cry ripping from his throat in a noise a pure anguish.

Magnus had just stepped out of the cab when he heard it – the most heart breaking cry he had ever heard; a cry of pure agony and utter despair. Without even thinking, he threw the driver his entire wallet and rushed towards the entrance. Immediately he saw Alec, kneeling on the ground with Jace pulled against him, sobbing into the other boy's shoulder and rocking back and forth incessantly. Unfortunately, Magnus knew that there was no time for pleasantries.

"Alexander, get back!" he practically bellowed, having to forcibly pry his boyfriend from Jace's still body. Magnus pushed him back and Alec fell, landing in a heap on his side but not even bothering to move as his weeping increased. Magnus wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms and get him as far away from here as possible. Still, he had to focus on Jace.

He turned his attentions to the blonde-haired boy, placing his hands on his chest and concentrating. It took a moment but then he felt it – the tiniest flutter of a heartbeat. Jace was alive! Thank the angel, for while he could heal dire wounds, he could not bring back the dead… well he wasn't supposed so he had never tried. Magnus focused all of his energy; forcing it into Alec's parabatai with all of his strength. At first nothing happened and dread built in Magnus's heart. Had he not done this correctly? But then at last he felt the body beneath his fingers responding. Slowly, ever so slowly, the injury on Jace's hip started oozing demon poison, forced out by Magnus's magic. It dripped from the wound and congregated in a black puddle on the floor until the wound stopped oozing and when at last it did, Magnus began channeling the healing power so that it started to knit the wound together. When that was done, Magnus felt greatly relieved. Already, Jace's face was regaining some color, still, he needed blood. Magnus focused on that next, using his magic to stimulate Jace's body to replenish its supply. It took several minutes but at last Magnus was satisfied. He ran his hands along the length of the boy's body, scanning for any other injuries, and came back with nothing. Next he measured Jace's breathing and heart rate. Both were normal. Magnus gave a curt nod and a slight smile – he had done it!

"Alec, darling," Magnus started, before realizing that his boyfriend had yet to move and remained sobbing into the floor.

Magnus jumped up and rushed to his side, sitting beside him and pulling the boy to his chest, "Love, talk to me,"

Alec only managed to cry harder, burying his face into Magnus's chest and wrapping his arms around the warlock's neck.

"Darling, are you hurt?" Magnus asked, concern flaring within him – he hadn't even bothered to see if Alec was okay!

"Can't breathe… Jace… it burned!" Alec gasped, practically incoherent as he removed his arms from Magnus's neck, laying his forearm so that his parabatai rune was over his heart and hugging the other one across himself as if trying to force the rune even closer to it.

"It's alright now Alexander," Magnus assured, pulling the boy closer to his chest, "Hush darling, Jace is fine,"

"But… but the rune!" Alec sobbed, "it was on fire. And then he was gone… it was so cold… freezing… oh Magnus! I lost him!"

Magnus gently took Alec's shoulders and pushed him out several inches so that they could see each other eye to eye, "Listen to me love. Jace is fine now, I healed him. He is resting right over there,"

Alec's sobbing turned into gasping and he turned his head to see his Parabatai. Sure enough, Jace's chest rose and fell and his skin tone was restored so that he no longer looked like a pasty corpse.

Alec's breathing hitched and started sobbing again – this time in relief, "Thank you, thank you Magnus,"

Magnus smiled and rubbed his hands gently up and down Alec's arms, "It's going to be okay now Alec, just relax. Calm down love,"

Alec nodded, gasping inhalations to try to calm himself. It worked for a minute but then his eyes grew bewildered, "Magnus, why did the rune do that? I thought he was dead!"

Magnus nodded sadly, "I noticed. You freaked me out for a minute there, I thought I was losing you. He's fine Alec. As far as the rune goes, call that last minute communication. It lets you know when your parabatai is close to death. The pain that you felt was its way of warning you. Historically, they do that during battles when one parabatai is gravely injured to alert the other of his need,"

Alec sighed, sagging into Magnus and finally calming, "Scared the hell out of me,"

"That's kind of the point – the rune is a connection between you two and this time it was warning you,"

"I thought he was dead," Alec replied again, unnecessarily.

"I know," Magnus said, "But unfortunately that was hardly even a taste of the pain that you will go through when he does die," and he couldn't hide the bitterness that was in his tone.

Alec scrubbed his fingers through his hair and then over his face. He pushed himself up and off of Magnus, teetering as he took a hesitant step towards Jace. In a flash, Magnus was beside him, wrapping a steadying arm around his waist, "Easy love, you've had quite the scare, you really should rest,"

"I just need to be with him for a minute, I need to see that he's okay," Alec assured Magnus, but none the less, he leaned into the warlock, thankful for the support. Magnus helped him sit, right beside Jace and Alec couldn't help himself, he immediately pressed one hand on Jace's chest, monitoring his breathing, and the other to his neck, savoring the feeling of a strong pulse beneath his fingers.

"Thank you Magnus," he breathed again, leaning forward over Jace. They stayed like that for an hour, Alec's hands never leaving Jace's body and Magnus's hands gently massaging Alec's shoulders, until at last Alec spoke, "He hasn't woken up yet…"

"The healing has done its job; he's just sapped for energy. If you like I can carry him to the institute, we can watch over him there until he awakes,"

Fear flashed behind Alec's eyes, "Isn't there something else we can do? I mean I just need to see him walk out of here…"

"Darling," Magnus began, "Really, he just needs rest…" and with that Magnus tried to slip his hands under Jace in order to lift him up but Alec stopped him with a feral cry – his hands pushing the warlock's away from Jace.

"You'll hurt him!" Alec cried, his head filled with images of Jace when he had tried to lift him earlier– the horrible noise, Jace pleading with him, and the blood flowing from his parabatai's hip faster than he could dampen it with his jacket. And just like that he was reduced to sobbing again, his hands covering his face, "Magnus, please don't hurt him! I can't bear it!"

Magnus approached Alec as one would approach a wild animal protecting her cubs – he was slow and cautious, looking directly at his boyfriend until he was an arm's length away. Then he took the shaking boy in his arms, pulling Alec to him before kissing the top of his head, "Darling, you're in shock. It's going to be okay. You know I would never hurt Jace. Trust me,"

Suddenly Alec looked up with hopeful eyes, "He just needs energy?"

"Yes,"

"Then give him mine!"

"What?" Magnus asked, totally confused.

"You can channel my energy, you've done it before! Give it to him!"

Magnus shook his head, "Alexander, you're exhausted, you hardly have any to give. I could give him some of mine though…"

Alec looked horrified, "No Magnus! You can't drain yourself anymore, we don't know how he will be when he wakes up, he may need you!"

"Alec, I assure you, he's perfectly healthy now and…"

"No Magnus! We can't risk it!"

Magnus could see Alec shaking, he could feel the building hysteria within his lover and it was for that reason alone that he decided to give in, "Alright Alexander, but so you know I do not approve of this whole selfless martyr thing! No come lie down beside him, before you collapse anyway,"

Alec lay beside Jace, sighing in relief that he would now be able to see Jace awake and healthy before they left the building. He relaxed as Magnus opened a link between himself and Jace and slowly pushed the strength and energy through it. Just as his vision started to blur, he noticed Jace twitching. Magnus stopped the flow through the link but Alec looked up at him insistently, "More," and so Magnus complied, pushing the last fragments of Alec's strength through the link.

Jace's eyes fluttered open and Alec allowed himself to bathe in the glory of their gold before he closed his own, falling into the darkness.

"Alec!" Jace gasped, forcing himself into a sitting position, "Magnus! What's happened?"

Magnus made a disapproving sound, "He just bled himself dry of any remaining strength that he had just so that he could watch you wake up,"

Jace looked at Alec, his eyes filled with affection, "What a stupidly selfless thing to do,"

"Yes," Magnus agreed, "And he will be feeling the effects of it for a few days at least. I do hope you are grateful,"

"I am," Jace assured but looked at Magnus in confusion, "But why did you let him do it?"

Magnus looked angrily at Jace, "He thought he lost you. He was scarred out of his mind and he was irrational. Who am I to deny his haggard mind the respite of seeing you alive? No, I couldn't have fought him on this one without hurting him further,"

Jace lowered his head in guilt, "Thank you Magnus. You saved my life. And I know this parabatai thing is hard for you…"

Magnus snorted, gathering Alec in his arms and standing, "Oh you think it's hard on me? You should have seen how hard it is on him! You should have heard the way he sobbed over you, the way he broke. Don't ever take this bond for granted, don't ever forget how capable you are of destroying the man that I love,"

And with that Magnus turned to the door, striding out with Alec's limp form cradled to his chest. He could only pray that his lecture would torture Jace the way that Alec's pain had tortured him. He could only hope that some good would come of this and that Jace would finally realize the danger that he was to Alec.

**So what did you think? Hate it or love it, leave me a review. As always, my readers mean the world to me! Like I said at the start, this is from the IPod challenge, so there should be more soon I hope. MY pairing for it is Malec of course ;) just thought that the song really fit the bond between Jace and Alec.**

**Lots of Love,**

**JustAnotherSensitiveArtist**


	2. Anti-Venom

**Hello my wonderful readers, here is the next chapter in my IPod series, largely inspired by the lovely Miss Asteria (go ****check out her page!) who requested a story in which Alec is ambushed and Magnus must save him. As usual, there's lots of fluff and hurt/comfort goodness. The song for this one on y has a very loose connection to the story but it's Anti-Venom by Eatmewhileimhot.**

It had been yet another stupid fight; Alec honestly wasn't even sure exactly what it had really been about. It had started off as a disagreement about sheets – yes, freaking sheets! Magnus had insisted that the new sheets for their bed at his place needed to not only be orange but also made of oriental silk. After hours of searching every store, the couple began to grow irritated. Magnus, in his frustration, had started treating several sales clerks in a manner that was rather disrespectful. Alec, totally embarrassed about his boyfriend's behavior, had physically pulled Magnus from the store, chewing him out once they were outside.

From there things had just escalated. Magnus somehow equated Alec's 'being embarrassed by his outburst' to Alec 'being ashamed of their relationship'. Alec accused Magnus of being overly dramatic and demanded that the warlock just 'magic some sheets up' but even as he finished the words, he wished that he could take them back.

Magnus's eyes had grown sad and he had swallowed hard, "I just wanted this to be special… I wanted us to go shopping _together_ for _our_ room in _our_ house, like any other couple would do…"

Alec had felt a huge wave of anger – not at Magnus, of course – at himself. He hadn't wanted to argue with the warlock, and even more importantly he couldn't believe that he had just hurt Magnus by fighting with him over something so trivial.

He had immediately taken the warlock's hands in his own, kissing the back of them, "I'm sorry, I know how important this is to you; I'm not ashamed of us,"

Magnus had nodded sadly, his eyes not meeting Alec's, so Alec continued, "Listen, we've been spending a lot of time together lately and it's been great. I never meant to snap at you like that - I think I just need to burn off some steam. How about if tonight I stay at the institute? Jace and Izzy could always use my help and I haven't gotten my regular workout and practice in a while,"

Magnus nodded again, still not looking up from where Alec's hands grasped his own.

"I'll be back in time to make us brunch," Alec said, smiling a little, but when the warlock still refused to look up, he had gently held Magnus's chin, bring the man's gaze to his, "Hey, I'm sorry, okay?"

Magnus's cat-like eyes had flared with so many emotions that Alec felt rather taken aback, "I love you Magnus Bane," he had whispered before crushing their lips together, surprised at the force and desperation that the kiss conveyed.

Then he had stepped back, turning to walk away when he heard Magnus whisper back, "Not nearly as much as I love you, Alexander,"

He had smiled back at his lover and then continued on his way, his smile only growing bigger when Magnus yelled at his back, "That brunch had better be amazing tomorrow!"

Alec chuckled slightly; thinking of that as he walked towards the institute. His phone went off, bringing him back into the present. It was a text from Izzy stating that she and Jace would be tied up that evening. Deciding to take the long way home (Why hurry if his family wasn't even there?) he altered his course, heading for an industrial park that had a well hidden fisherman's pier that he and Magnus frequented.

He arrived just in time. The sunset was breathtaking over the water and he felt himself wishing that Magnus was there to watch it with him. He walked to the edge, leaning against the railing and watching the orange and pink hues as they began to fade. The breeze that blew up off the water was harsh, refreshingly cold and smelling of salt and sea life and tussling his hair. The reflection was gorgeous, just like a painting really. Alec stood there in awe until at last the color diminished.

He stretched leisurely and was about to begin his journey home in the dying light when he heard it – tiny noises being emitted from a stack of large fish crates at the start of the pier. He walked towards it uncertainly, keeping his weight on the balls of his feet so that he could spring into action if need be. When he reached the stack he reached out with the speed of a cobra, knocking the top one to the ground.

His ears were immediately assaulted by the terrified screams of a young girl as she jumped out of one of the crates and rushed to cower beside a dumpster. Suddenly Alec felt rather foolish; he had probably frightened the daylights out of the poor thing.

Slowly, he walked towards her, taking in her ratty appearance. She had blonde curls that fell down her back even though her hair was in disarray and she wore only a white nightgown that was stained and old looking. Also, her face was red and her eyes swollen; it was obvious that she had been crying.

Alec stayed a few feet back but crouched down to see her better, extending his hand. The child flinched backwards and probably would have bolted away had it not been for the wall and the dumpster behind her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her, "What's your name?"

The child looked at him with terrified brown eyes, her small frame shaking, "A…'manda,"

"Hello Amanda," he said with a smile, trying to calm her, "My name is Alec,"

When the girl only stared at him, he decided to try to get some answers from her, "Amanda, why are you here? And all by yourself, I mean shouldn't your family be here with you?"

Tears began to form in the child's eyes and a new look of panic spread over her face, "Momma," she began to cry, "Want my momma,"

Alec felt his heart wrench, he had always had a soft spot for kids, "I'll take you to your mother, but you have to tell me where she is,"

"S-some man took her," the child started to cry harder.

Alec took the child's hand in his own, "It's alright, I can help. Show me the way,"

The child acknowledged his statement by grasping his fingers with surprising strength and pulling him forward, her bare feet scrabbling against the pavement as she ran.

Alec jogged beside her and together the two moved down several long alleyways, hurrying between buildings and along the seemingly deserted streets. They came to an old garage, the walls painted in shabby peeling paint the color of butter and the car-sized double doors in the same shape save for their dirty brown color.

Amanda stopped and pointed a small finger towards the doors, "In there,"

Alec drew his stele in one hand, "Stay here," he ordered but they girl shook her head.

"They might come back," the child whispered, and Alec realized the truth in her words. He couldn't just leave her outside by herself, especially if he didn't know how many men there might be or their locations.

"Okay," he whispered, "But you have to be very quiet, and stay right with me," and with that he swung her up on his shoulders. He then approached the doors with added caution, hating the idea of bringing a child into danger and yet knowing that she was safest where he could protect her. He entered the garage, stele in hand, and braced himself immediately for combat. But there was nothing, no 'momma' or her kidnappers…

Suddenly a voice rang out from the story above, "Ah, so the shadowhunter comes!"

Alec whirled to face whoever had addressed him and immediately wished that he had his bow. Ironically, a bow was the exact weapon that was pointed at him, the tip of the arrow gleaming malevolently. His whole body tensed and he waiting, only hoping that he would be able to move fast enough to get the girl out of harm's way.

"How do you know I'm a shadowhunter?" he asked, biding his time.

"Oh we've been tracking you for some time," the bow-bearing man answered. He was tall and lean with thick brown locks but there was something off about his eyes – they were blood red. And he wore a smirk that was punctuated by an angry red and purple line that ran from the corner of his mouth to his temple. '_He must be a warlock_' Alec thought. Magnus had told him that some warlocks who dabbled in evil things would undergo physical changes that would mark them forever.

Feeling his apprehension rise, Alec addressed the man, "Well in that case your quarrel is with me. Let the child's mother go!"

The man barked a wicked laugh, "Silly shadowhunter, that child has no _mother_, only a father,"

"What…" Alec began but was unable to finish.

Just as he started to speak, the man released the arrow. Had he not been confused, and had he not had the girl on his shoulders, Alec probably could have dodged it but these factors were against him. As it was, he was barely capable of moving out of the way and the arrow struck, lodging in his shoulder. Alec bit back a cry, his hand flying to the wound as agony and an unsettling coldness began to course through his veins. One hand went to the shaft of the arrow and Alec gasped, seeing the Enochian script written there in red and black letters – demon ichor and angel blood combined in ancient rituals to create a poisoned object. His legs shook and he fell to his knees, desperately trying to clear his mind of the pain.

"Alec!" the child screamed.

"Oh no," the man began, "She's hell spawn, near and dear to her father, but then again so are all of his children that you've destroyed,"

And then suddenly the girl sprang from Alec's shoulders, her tiny frame contorting, "Alec!" she cried again but this time her words gurgled as the skin began to peel from her face, exposing raw meaty flesh. Her bones elongated, jutting from her skin at odd angles - puncturing it - and her teeth fell from her face as if they were pearls from a broken necklace. "Aaaaalllllleeeeeccc," she said again, this time in a sing-song voice that chilled him to his very marrow. Her golden locks fell from her scalp and she turned on him, eyes bulging out of a now too small skull.

"Sh-shape shifter," he gasped in horror.

"Very good," the man said with a laugh, "We always knew you had a sweet-spot for kids! But really Alec, you're a Lightwood. It would have been much more fun if you would have at least given us a challenge," the man shook his head, "No matter. Go on and have your way with him, Amanda," he said, savoring the human name as it left his lips as if it were some fine line of poetry or brilliant rhetoric. With that he turned, walking down the stairs and out the doors.

Alec's relief at seeing the man go was short-lived. Almost immediately the thing flung itself at him, still dripping bits of human-like flesh as it transitioned back into its demon form. Craws ripped at his shoulder, just above the arrow, and Alec screamed, unable to stop himself. The demon sank its teeth into his neck then and Alec frantically tried to beat it off with his one good arm. In anger, it ripped at his scalp, yanking out gobs of raven hair and smashing Alec's head against the ground. Alec reached for the dagger in his boot, his stele having been dropped when he fell, and fought to get it out. The demon wrapped its long fingers around Alec's abdomen, squeezing mercilessly. Alec heard the crunching of breaking bones but a sense of self-preservation kept him conscious, even as his breath was forced from him and the agony blinded him. He slashed out with the dagger, meeting his mark as he drew it blindly across the thing's neck, hearing its death screeching as it crumbled into nothing.

And then there was silence. Rolling in waves, all of the pain overwhelmed Alec. He gagged, only to find that that movement tortured his stomach and chest. And the cold from the cursed arrow was spreading rapidly, his body felt as if it was freezing. He needed help and fast!

Gasping against the pain, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, hitting speed dial for Magnus and hitting call.

The phone rang twice and then the warlock answered, "Ah, darling, bored with your family already? Cuz you know I'll always take you back,"

The voice from the other line shocked the warlock; it wasn't even a whisper, more of just a pleading breath, "_Mags_,"

"Alec?" the warlock questioned and then when there was no reply, "Alec!"

Staying on the phone, Magnus continued to talk while rushing to the bathroom, grabbing Alec's brush from the vanity, "It's okay darling, I'm on my way. Alexander, do you hear me?"

A whimper came from the phone and Magnus felt his heart constrict, "Angel, hold on, stay with me. Listen to the sound of my voice darling," all the while he continued to talk, praying to whoever would hear and asking them to let it bring Alec some comfort.

He spoke as he created the locator spell, using the brush, "On my way now. Just be a second, alright? Breathe love," he heard what he assumed was a strangled breath from the other line. As soon as the locator spell gave him Alec's location, he closed his eyes, using his magic to transport himself there.

He opened his eyes to find his boyfriend in a broken and bloody heap, "Alexander!" he screamed, falling to his knees beside the boy.

Alec's crystalline blue eyes met Magnus's and the warlock gasped in shock. Alec's eyes were too bright, too big, exposing his agony and fear.

"Mag…'nus," Alec gasped; the effort of speaking driving him to whimper as he finished the word.

"Angel…" Magnus whispered to himself and then, as panic spread across Alec's features, "Darling? Tell me what's worst,"

"Ribs," Alec gasped, his inability to draw in breath making his panic intensify, "_Please… can't breathe_!"

Magnus snapped Alec's shirt off and laid his hands, palms down, on Alec's abdomen, hating himself when the slight pressure made Alec cry out. He focused his magic and channeled it into Alec's body. At once, the bones beneath his fingers began to shift. Alec screamed, pain ripping like demon claws through his torso, his skin rippling as the bones beneath it moved. Magnus felt tears forming in his own eyes as he watched Alec buck beneath his hands, writhing against the agony. He tried to blink them away but that only made them spill faster, falling on Alec's face below him and creating tracks in the blood that covered the boy's face. After what seemed like an eternity, Magnus felt the bones beneath his fingers still as they reached their proper positions again. Alec took a huge ragged breath – the first full one that he had been able to get since the demon had crushed his ribcage - and let it out in a desperate sob.

Magnus's hands fluttered over Alec's body, unsure of how to comfort the boy without hurting him further. He decided the best route was to only touch the places he had already healed so he gently stroked his fingers over the shadow hunter's chest, making small circles and speaking soothingly.

"Breathe love, just breathe. I'm right here,"

Magnus surveyed the rest of his boyfriend's injuries, trying to piece them together to understand the full extent of what had happened. Alec's neck was bleeding, a small pool forming around his head fed by this injury as well as multiple lacerations on his scalp. But by far the worst was his shoulder – an arrow protruded from it and the area surrounding the entry wound was inflamed and red. Claw marks extended from just above the injury, disappearing behind Alec's shoulder. They too were bleeding.

"I'm going to stop the bleeding," Magnus said bluntly but Alec shook his head weakly.

"Out of here… _please Magnus_, get me out of here,"

As irrational as the request was – to move him while he was still in such horrid shape – Magnus found that he simply could not deny the boy. He would have done anything, even giving his own life, just to spare Alec from the pain.

Nodding, Magnus picked Alec up as gently as he could, trying to avoid shifting any part of his body. As soon as he was in Magnus's arms, Alec sagged bonelessly into the warlock. He bit his lip against the vicious pain but managed to move his uninjured arm so that it wrapped around the warlock's neck.

Air flew past them both and within a split second they had arrived at Magnus's living room. Magnus practically ran into the bedroom, rushing over to the bed that they had shared on so many occasions and laying Alec on it as gently as possible. When he went to uncurl Alec's arm from his neck, the boy let out a keening noise and Magnus felt his heart break.

He took Alec's hand in between his own and rubbed his hands over it, "I'm right here love,"

Alec looked up at him. The gorgeous blue of his eyes was almost completely eaten away by his dilated pupils. Magnus noted that they were dilated to different degrees – a sure sign of a concussion.

Tears surged into Alec's eyes, "I'm sorry,"

"You have nothing to be sorry for darling,"

"Please Magnus, I'm sorry! Don't leave me!"

"You know I never would… I never could," Magnus whispered, planting kisses on Alec's forehead and cheeks while assuring himself that it was just blood loss and shock making Alec doubt him.

Alec relaxed a little at the words but his hand grasped Magnus's and he held on tight. Magnus summoned a cool damp cloth and used his free hand to mop the gore away from Alec's face. He allowed his fingers to linger there. As much as Magnus wished that they could stay like that, Alec's wounds were still bleeding at an alarming rate so he pried his fingers out of the boy's grip, trying to ignore the terrified look that crossed the shadow hunter's face.

"Easy love, I'm still right here," Magnus said, sliding his hands up Alec's chest to the injury at his neck, closing his eyes and exhaling as his magic knit the wound closed. He then moved his hands further up, into Alec's hair, repeating the process with the lacerations there. When he was finished, he cracked one eye open, looking down at the shadow hunter. Alec's own eyes were trained on Magnus, using the green and gold to ground him in reality. Magnus could practically feel the effort that the boy was putting into staying above the pain.

Magnus pushed Alec's dark hair back off his forehead, "Any better?"

Alec made a tiny nod but even that movement ended in him grinding his teeth, his features scrunching in pain, "Ugh, n-not ready for movements," he ground out.

Magnus smiled sadly, "I should think not, your shoulder's still pretty bad," and he laid his hand on it, Alec's flinch and gasp indicating just how right he was. He healed the lacerations there and once again met Alec's eyes.

"The arrow," Alec began, closing his eyes.

"It has to come out," Magnus said, guilt coloring his words.

"I know," Alec whispered, "But Magnus, it's a sacred object. A warlock attacked me. There's Enochian on the shaft…" his voice trailed off before he was able to pick up again, "Mags, it's poisoned with dark magic,"

Magnus's eyes grew wide, "No…" he bent over his lover on the bed and examined the arrow closer. Sure enough, there were calligraphic swirls of the ancient language, written in ichor and blood. Magnus felt the air leave his lungs in a whoosh.

"Please," Alec begged, "I'm freezing… and it hurts…"

Magnus tried to remain calm, "It's alright. We have to get the arrow out first to prevent any more of the dark magic from poisoning you. I have a spell book that has powerful anti-venoms; some should be potent enough to counteract this sort of thing… Once the magic is overridden I can heal the wound,"

Alec's face looked doubtful but Magnus put on a reassuring smile. He climbed onto the bed facing Alec, lifting him off the pillows and pulling the boy closer to him, "Deep breaths, m'kay?"

Magnus wrapped one hand around the shaft of the arrow, right above the flesh of Alec's shoulder from which the thing protruded, and then offered his other hand to Alec. The boy took it with his shaking hand and leaned forward to bury his face into the warlock's chest.

Magnus removed his hand from the arrow and stroked his back, gently and lovingly, "Shh, it will all be over soon," Alec's only reply was to shiver violently as the warlock returned his hand to the arrow, "Deep breath in," Magnus instructed, and when the shadow hunter complied with the request, he began the countdown, his fingers tightening over the shaft and preparing to pull the thing out, "One… Two… Three!"

On three Magnus yanked back. The arrow slowly started to slide out. Alec's whole body tensed, his grip on Magnus's hand became vice-like and the warlock felt certain that without his powers, the boy would have completely shattered the bones in his hand. Alec screamed into the older man's chest, his cry cutting off into choking noises as the head of the arrow finally came out. Magnus cast the arrow aside, turning to focus on his boyfriend. He laid Alec back against the pillows. The boy had closed his eyes and clamped his jaws shut. Tears streamed down his face and all of the color was gone from his cheeks. Magnus placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away several tears with his thumb before continuing to trace Alec's cheekbones and jawline with his fingers.

"Love?" he asked, honestly surprised when the shadow hunter opened his eyes – damn, the kid was tough.

"That was… h-horrible," Ale whimpered.

Tears welled up within Magnus's eyes and he sat on the bed again, pulling the boy to him once again. Alec melted in to him and Magnus started to cry into his hair. After a minute he found his voice again, "Mags, 'm sorry…"

Magnus let out a bitter laugh, "You were nearly killed by some demented warlock, you're still in agony, I'm the one who should be comforting you," he wiped his eyes, "Really, your selflessness never ceases to amaze me Alexander," he sniffed and wiped his eyes again, "I'm sorry love; I just hate to see you like this. And I hope that you know that I would never _ever_ intentionally hurt you,"

Alec tried to smile, "Hate to be p-pushy… but… can we talk about this after some potion or s-something,"

Magnus nodded, immediately going to the bookshelf on the far end of the room and selecting an extremely old book on healing. He brought it back to the bed and sat beside Alec. The shadow hunter curled in closer to him but grimaced.

"How bad still?" Magnus questioned, feeling his heart drop when Alec responded, "B-bad," – this was the same boy who had broken two bones in his leg only to rate the pain as a six. For Alec to admit that it was bad, it must have been tremendously painful.

This realization made his desperation rise and he frantically started flipping through the spell book. He'd only been looking for about five minutes when he felt the trembling coming from his boyfriend. He looked over and gasped, Alec was totally white and tiny beads of cold sweat covered his forehead and upper lip. The black magic poison was taking over.

"Alexander," Magnus spoke, "I need you to stay awake,"

Alec's eyes flashed open and Magnus could see the fear behind them, "H-hurry…"

Panic spread through Magnus but within another couple of page turns he had found it – a potion potent enough to cure even greater demon poisoning. It would work. Magnus leapt from the bed and ran to his desk, summoning the ingredients quite literally from all over the globe: one whole toad, the bark of a lightning-struck tree, witch-hazel, blood of a virgin… the list seemed unending! He glanced back at Alec and realized that the blue-eyed boy seemed to be deteriorating even more rapidly. His mouth was open, his breathing ragged and panting and he shook from head to toe. The poison was acting more rapidly.

Once all the ingredients were summoned, Magnus rushed to measure and combine them in accordance to the book. Time was slipping away and he knew it. At one point, Alec had begun crying his name, over and over like a mantra. Still, Magnus had not even turned from his work – he had to finish the potion, it was the only thing that could stop the poison that ate away at Alec. At last he finished it, pouring the liquid into a coffee mug and turning the page of the book with a flourish but the words on the next page made him go totally numb. He stared at them in horror:

_Allow to marinate for thirty minutes prior to consumption. _

"What?" Magnus shouted in anger, why wouldn't they put something like that at the front? Like a warning – _hey, if your boyfriend is dying from dark magic, you might want to think about the fact that this potion has a freaking marinade time!_ Magnus slammed his fists down in rage. He probably would have let his anger get the best of him if it hadn't been for Alec's voice.

"So cold…" the boy moaned, "Please Mags…"

Magnus flew to the bedside. His hands rubbed up and down Alec's torso, trying to generate some heat from the friction, "I know darling, just a bit longer okay?"

"Did 't work?" Alec breathed.

"Yes," Magnus answered, "Just needs a bit longer…"

Shivers wracked Alec's body and he looked up at the warlock with shinning pain-filled eyes, "Freezing…"

It was then that Magnus had an idea. Alec's body temperature was being lowered as an effect of the poison but perhaps if there were heat generated from an outside source it could counteract it. He ran to the bathroom, plugging the bottom of their Jacuzzi tub before turning the hot water handle all the way on. He then ran back to get Alec.

He scooped the boy up off the bed and carried him into the bathroom, stepping over the side of the tub and lowering his own and Alec's body into the water. It didn't matter that he was completely clothed, that Alec still had his jeans on, or that the water was scalding; all that mattered to Magnus was that Alec breathed a slight sigh of relief as the warmth enveloped his lower body. Magnus sat cross-legged in the tub, Alec propped against him, and brought his arms around the shadow hunter, hugging him gently to avoid causing him any pain. He was careful to keep the arrow wound on Alec's shoulder up and out of the water, holding him up even when Alec started to slide deeper into the water.

Alec made a tiny noise of protest, "P…lease… still cold,"

Magnus rubbed his fingers across Alec's face tracing his cheekbones, "Alright, but I can't let you get the wound wet,"

He allowed Alec to sink further into the water but stopped the boy before his shoulders were submerged. He then cupped his free hang, bringing a handful of warm water up to drizzle across Alec's good shoulder. Alec moaned his appreciation and Magnus took another handful, pouring it over Alec's dark hair. He rubbed gently at the base of Alec's skull, increasing the pressure slightly when the shadow hunter leaned into his touch.

"Relax darling," Magnus said, kissing Alec's temple, "Just a bit longer and this will all be a bad memory," he moved his hands, massaging Alec's back.

"Not… so… bad," Alec murmured and Magnus tried to smile but it fell flat.

"How can you even say that?"

Alec turned his head so that he and Magnus were making eye contact and mustered all of his strength, "I could be… dying alone… back th-there. 'M so glad… you're here Mags," and the earnestness of his words broke Magnus's heart.

"Don't even think like that! Of course I'm here, and you're not dying! Not there or here or anywhere!"

Alec smiled – a genuine smile despite his fear and pain, "Love you…"

Magnus felt tears in his eyes again and had to take a deep breath to calm himself, "Yes. And I love you Alexander. More than life itself,"

Alec closed his eyes, a smile still on his lips.

They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, Alec slumped into Magnus's chest and the warlock supporting the boy, his hands alternating between rubbing Alec's back and neck and hugging Alec to him. The shadow hunter floated in and out of consciousness.

Finally, after Magnus could have sworn he'd lived nine more life times, the clock in the bathroom showed that it had been thirty minutes. Magnus clutched Alec to his chest and sprung from the tub, water pouring from them both as he rushed back into the bedroom, grabbing the potion and falling to his knees on the floor beside the desk, propping Alec against him and forcing the mug to Alec's lips. He pinched Alec's nose and poured the liquid into his mouth. Instinctually, Alec swallowed.

At first nothing happened and Magnus felt his fear growing. But then Alec took a sharp breath that ended in a hacking cough. The cough continued and Alec doubled over, clutching at his shoulder.

Magnus pulled the boy's hands away, "Let me see," and sighed in relief. The reddening around the wound was shrinking and the skin around that looked less grey, also Alec had stopped shivering.

Alec stopped mid cough and his eyes rolled back into his head as he fell against Magnus. The warlock hurriedly laid him on the floor, pressing both hands to his shoulder and focusing his energy there to push the rest of the dark magic away. When he felt it leave, he focused on healing Alec. As soon as the arrow wound had closed, he looked up at the boy's face. Gone were the lines of pain and the haggard look but still, Magnus needed Alec awake to confirm that the healing had worked. He rubbed his hands up Alec's naked torso and patted the boy on the cheek. When that failed to rouse him, Magnus frowned. He would have to resort to more drastic measures. Feeling awful, he took his knuckles and ran them up Alec's rib cage. Immediately the boy sprang to life, gasping and flinching away – making Magnus feel as if he were the scum of the earth.

"Sorry love!" he apologized quickly but Alec just smiled once he realized it was the warlock. The shadow hunter leaned forward off the floor and grabbed the sides of Magnus's face, pulling him into a passionate kiss. At first the warlock sputtered in shock but then he melted into it. They continued the kiss for some time until Alec had to pull away, falling back on an elbow as dizziness and exhaustion reminded him of his previous ordeal.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Magnus laughed, "On the contrary love, thank you! I take that as a confirmation that you're feeling better?"

Alec chuckled and nodded, "Just really tired now. But really Magnus, thank you, you just saved my life,"

"Don't mention it," the warlock said, snapping his fingers and instantly drying them both before standing and pulling Alec to his feet before realizing how tired the boy was. Alec swayed; Magnus grabbed him around the waist and helped him to the bed. When Alec made to speak Magnus cut him off, "Seriously, don't mention it. I'd rather never have to think about this again. And that warlock is going to pay…"

He tucked Alec into the covers and was just turning to go check into some details on tracking the rogue warlock when Alec's hand caught the hem of his shirt. He looked back, feeling shocked when he saw tears in the boy's eyes, "Please Mags… stay with me until I Fall asleep?" he then added even more quietly, "I don't want to be alone…"

Magnus sat on the bed, nudging Alec's hip so that the boy would scout over and then he crawled beneath the covers. His arms encircled Alec, pulling the boy until they were flush against each other. He stroked Alec's hair and cheeks before speaking, "I will stay with you here for eternity if that is your wish. And you are never alone,"

Alec responded by latching his arms around Magnus's neck and the warlock hugged him closer, "You are mine," Magnus said, a feeling of fierce protectiveness and possession practically overpowering his senses, "Always and forever Alexander,"

**And there you have it lovelies, I hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review and once again, a huge thank you goes out to Miss Asteria!**


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